The Chinese government recently announced new rules regarding the declaration of wealth of its officials. This is little noticed in Hong Kong, because people are getting cynical about the mainland's determination to eliminate corruption.

Corruption is rampant in the country, and it is always on top of the list of public concerns as well as commonly believed to be the number one cause of public dissatisfaction. In recent years, a number of anti-graft bodies have been set up, together with various rules and regulations, but the results are minimal. It is now the general consensus that unless officials are required to make detailed declarations of their wealth, which is then subject to the strict scrutiny and monitoring of relevant authorities and the general citizenry, anti-corruption can never be really effective.

The new regulation is a little beyond common expectations. In addition to officials being required to list their properties and investments, they must also list the employment status of their spouse and siblings and these filings must be regularly updated. By implication, from now on officials will have to prove their innocence, as in Hong Kong.

Like everything in China, rules and regulations are one thing, and their strict enforcement is another. The new declaration rules can demonstrate the sincerity and determination on the part of the ruling Communist Party and the Central Government to stamp out corruption, but many people, outside observers in particular, are still skeptical about implementation.

Learning from the Hong Kong experience in the 1970s when the ICAC was first set up, it took a general pardon to set smooth sailing. On the mainland, it is recommended that a charitable foundation be set up for some officials to anonymously dump their previous loot and start with a clean slate in the new clean environment.

Another lesson that can be learned from Hong Kong is education. Some officially sponsored commercials have recently cropped up on mainland TV proclaiming that offering bribes to officials insults the character of the officials approached. This is a good start, but in Hong Kong a majority of the ICAC's work is on education, and the spirit of the rule of law and morality is ingrained in citizens' minds from primary school. Anti-corruption has to be a way of life as it is now in Hong Kong.

The author is a member of the Commission on Strategic Development.

(HK Edition 07/20/2010 page2)